The invention relates to a process and a device for producing a shell-like consumable goods from mass containing fat, in particular a bulk fat containing cocoa or chocolate.
Processes and devices for producing shell-like chocolate articles are already known. For example, EP 0 589 820 B1 discloses a process and a device for producing outer shells from masses containing fat, and similar to chocolate, in particular for chocolate articles. At the same time an alveola (a moulded cavity) is filled with tempered chocolate-like mass, which hardens inwards from the aveola out with crystallisation for developing the outer shape of the shell, whereby the alveola has a lower temperature than that of the tempered mass. Immediately after the mass is poured into the alveola a cooling body with a temperature below 0° C. is lowered into the mass and kept in this fully immersed position for a preset period in the mass, so that a preset shell volume between the cooling body and the alveola is specified.
With this particular method of operation there is, however, no guarantee that the mass containing fat filling the alveola is free from air pockets. Such air pockets can be present e.g. in the case of tempered chocolate mass in more or less large and more or less evenly distributed air bubbles in the melted bulk fat. They can e.g. already be contained in the tempered chocolate mass in the storage vessel before filling of the alveola or originate from the environmental air when the alveolae are being filled with chocolate mass.
WO 98/52425 describes a process and a device for producing shell-like chocolate articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,016 also describes a plant for producing chocolate articles with a vibration section for vibrating shells filled with liquid chocolate.
Furthermore, according to the nature of the mass containing fat to be treated it can also eventuate that the alveola filled with mass is not evenly distributed in the alveola.
Both air pockets in the mass containing fat and uneven distribution of the mass in the alveola can result impairing of the mass in the alveola can result impairing the quality of the shell-like consumable goods formed after the cooling body is lowered into the liquid mass, such as e.g. uneven shell thickness including holes in the shell, uneven shell edge, etc.